KARACHI: The Karachi Bar Association (KBA) has rejected amendments proposed by the Sindh government to the Legal Practitioner’s Act, including the proposal to suspend practicing licence of those lawyers who indulge in protest in future.

Addressing a press conference, KBA general secretary G.M. Korai and other office-bearers said that the amendments to section 41 of the act that provides for suspending protesting lawyers’ licences, would be rejected.

He also rejected the proposed amendment through which young lawyers, who hail from other cities, would not be allowed to exercise their right to vote in the bar associations’ elections for a period of two years.

Mr Korai said that the provincial ministers could not “dare” to take any such move and deplored that it was not understandable why the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) was trying to create hurdles for newly enrolled lawyers.

He added that the matter was discussed with the PBC representatives, who had assured them that young lawyers would not be deprived of their right to vote in the polls.

However, the KBA general secretary said that the legal fraternity would foil any such move to amend the act as it had foiled such anti-lawyers’ moves in the past.

He said that letters had been sent to all district judges, the IGP Sindh and other police officials requesting to take action against the judicial staff, “fake” lawyers and police officials, who were involved in corruption and other illegal practices in the district courts.

He claimed that the incumbent governing body of the association had caught fake lawyers and even FIRs were also lodged against them.

He deplored that letters were sent to the provincial home secretary and the IGP Sindh over the issue of security at the subordinate courts, but they did not reply.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2020